I read an article in The New York Times from the 13th of February which got me thinking. The article is about a movement in Denver, Colarado, which is encouraging people to rediscover the joy of walking about one’s city. WalkDenver is encouraging people to join its drive to help Devnver become certified as a “walk friendly community“. It seems like an interesting idea which would benefit both those walking (from a health perspective) and also local traders who would have an increase in passers-by.

The piece got me thinking about the effects of various methods of transport. What happens to a city when no one walks anywhere? How does a community operate when there is no chance of bumping into someone on the way to the shop, or whilst walking home? And how do businesses operate without foot-traffic? With an increase in cars, there is the inevitable rise in pollution, but do we ever consider what that increase does to a community? When fewer people walk as a method of travelling, it creates a community that becomes more isolated. People aren’t as visible or as accessible by others. People may consider that to be a safer option, but surely there should be a desire to be able to move about easily.

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About livesinliminalspaces

I am a PhD candidate in the School of English, whose research focuses on the effect the urban environment and the cityscape has on the behaviour of marginalised characters in the novels from the Twentieth Century.